Draw Recruiter Interest with a Powerful LinkedIn Profile
Key takeaways:
Recruiters use LinkedIn more than any other social platform to find suitable candidates
LinkedIn has over 260,000 active members
A lackluster profile can turn recruiters off
Your profile helps you rise above the competition
An optimized LinkedIn profile can help recruiters find you and help you find the position you want
Recruiters are playing an increasingly important part in the hiring process. In fact, 89% of recruiters have found and hired candidates through LinkedIn.
The professional social network has more than 260,000 active members. While not everyone on the platform is looking for jobs or even a job in your field, many are. There are 55 job applications submitted per second on the platform.
If you look at the upper left under your photo on your LinkedIn homepage, you will see who has viewed your profile. Have you heard from any of those recruiters?
There are several reasons why a recruiter does not reach out, but one of the biggest is a lackluster LinkedIn profile.
Your profile’s goal is to get you noticed, break through the multitude of other candidates, and get the opportunities you want. Make your profile express who you really are and make it soar above the competition to attract serious recruiter interest.
Seven tips for creating a strong, compelling LinkedIn profile
Think of your profile as your personal brand. There is no magic formula. What makes you uniquely you is what makes for a compelling profile, but here are some things to consider:
1. Identify and speak to the right audience
What kind of job do you want? In what industry? Your profile content should be crafted to highlight those skills and accomplishments that best apply to the type of position you want.
2. Update your intro
That is the first thing everyone sees because it is right under your name. By listing your industry, you will get up to nine times more profile views. Adding your location can get you up to 19 times more views and a 38-time boost in discovery via recruiter search.
3. Write a compelling story for the “about” section
The about section (formerly called the “summary” section) is your place to shine. If you do nothing else, make sure this section grabs attention and keeps it. Consider this your virtual first impression, so it needs to count.
Showcase key skills and how you have added value and made an impact or important contribution. Consider this section your professional biography. Do you have a personal mission statement? What motivates you? What do you think makes you stand out?
For inspiration, take a look at these great examples.
4. Ask for recommendations
Recruiters will still check references, but they also look at the recommendations section. They look for detailed and unique endorsements that highlight the strength of a candidate. What they want to see are performance examples rather than vague statements. Ask former supervisors or clients for recommendations rather than co-workers or acquaintances.
Your recommendations help recruiters get a holistic view of who you are beyond what you have to say for yourself. To help get these favorable mentions, make a request and supply a draft as a starting point.
5. Make sure you appear in searches
SEO counts on LinkedIn, just like it matters everywhere else. Do some keyword research, and then add them in where appropriate in each section.
Some other things that will boost your search appeal include:
Name your headshot to include your name or relevant keywords, so they are indexed with Google. This means your face will appear in image search results.
If appropriate, create backlinks in your “about section” or even in the “experience” section. Some things to link to include blog posts you wrote or whitepapers mentioning accomplishments.
6. Have a great headshot
You have done the SEO work to get high in the search results, but you still want to make recruiters want to click on your profile.
Recruiters spend about 20%of their time looking at the photo, so a selfie will not cut it. Your photo should look professional and reinforce your personal brand.
6. Do your housekeeping
Make sure your profile stays updated, logging job changes, adding additional recommendations and skills, and staying active with posting relevant articles.
7. Never, ever lie
This should be a given, but did you know that one-third of people lie in their profiles, and 11% of those have a profile that is a complete lie? It is hard to imagine why anyone would do this since so much information is available at our fingertips. You will get caught, and you risk your professional reputation.
Lying is not the only thing you should not do, however. There are other things that can break or make your LinkedIn profile.
Dos and don’ts
You probably belong to several social networks, but LinkedIn, by far, provides the most comprehensive picture of the professional you. In fact, if you use a search engine and input your name, your LinkedIn profile is the first thing likely to show up.
To create a profile that impresses recruiters enough to present you with that dream opportunity:
Do:
Turn off update notifications so you do not send tons of notifications to your network.
Use ASCII symbols to add some visual interest since LinkedIn does not allow font formatting within your “about” section.
Include your contact information, which is only visible to first-degree connections. Be sure to use an email address you check often. This shows you are willing to be contacted in ways other than direct messages.
Add multimedia files by uploading presentations, videos, documents, or photos to the experience and education sections.
Include interests in the interest section. It gives recruiters a better idea of who you are, and they can be used to establish rapport.
Don’t:
Keep LinkedIn’s default headline. This is created automatically. However, if you want to appeal to recruiters, write your own. Remember to include keywords, your location, and your industry, as noted above.
Stuff keywords. Do not try to game the system. LinkedIn will catch on and delete your profile. Place keywords strategically so they read naturally.
Put every single job you have had in your experience section. Only include those jobs that apply to what you seek for your future. It is recommended that you list no more than 15 years of experience on your profile.
LinkedIn is a great platform to connect with recruiters, but to maximize your chances of finding and getting your next fabulous job, you have to take matters into your own hands. To find the job of your dreams, make yourself a candidate recruiters and employers dream about.
Drive Talent appreciates what makes you unique
We rise above the chaos to protect and curate critical human connection and chemistry during a time when recruiting has become commoditized and omits what makes companies and candidates unique.
Looking for a new career? Struggling to make the transition? Drive Talent can help.
We are a woman-owned, Chicago-based recruitment firm that specializes in executive-level and sales and marketing professionals.
Contact Drive Talent to learn more about our services for both employers and job seekers.